The New Breed
by DigitalFlagDancer
Summary: Three years after the original DigiDestined's adventure, T.K. Takaishi moves back to Odaiba and begins a new life and journey with a new group of Chosen Children. New take on Digimon Adventure 02. Daikeru, Taishirou.
1. Things Change

_Author's note: This fic is a new take on Digimon Adventure 02 with new relationships and additional plotlines added in. My inspiration was zeo1fan's fic "Off To A New Adventure", an excellent Taishirou story which everyone should check out. Seriously. And yes, there will be gay people in this. Oh, the horror. (I do not own Digimon.)_

**Digimon: The New Breed**

**By DigitalFlagDancer**

**Chapter One:**

"**Things Change"**

_Dang,_ he thought, reaching down and rubbing the bruise on his leg. The more he scratched the more it itched and after a few minutes he just stopped and gave up. _Stupid basketball try-outs._ It was a new school year and T.K. Takaishi was set to begin the seventh grade the next day. He'd been having trouble sleeping that night and constantly had to wake up and roll around before he could fall back asleep. Dazed and irritated, he glanced over at the alarm clock on his desk. The bold white digital numbers read 3:20 A.M. _Just a couple hours left,_ he thought with a groan.

It wasn't that he was dreading going back to school. He just wished that he could get some actual sleep beforehand. _Oh well,_ he though. _No point in even trying at this point. I'll just get up early._ His legs didn't want to budge, however. Neither did the rest of his body. So he stayed there, lying motionless in the dark and letting his mind wander as he stared up at the ceiling. _At least I get to see Zenjirou...oh wait,_ he cut himself off. Had he really forgotten? _Blame it on the lack of sleep,_ he thought, and turned over on his side.

He was going to a new school in the morning, the one he was originally supposed to go to back when he lived with his mom, dad, and brother. Now it was just him and his mother. It had been that way for several years now, and T.K. had moved to the other side of town following his parents' divorce. They were back in central Odaiba for his mother's new writing job however; she now worked in an office as an editor and report writer. Excited as he was for his mother's success, T.K. was more excited about moving back to the town where the rest of the DigiDestined lived. It had been three years since their adventures in the Digital World had ended, and though they now got to go on occasional trips back and visit their partners it just wasn't the same. T.K. missed his partner Patamon greatly, and it was just made worse by the fact that he couldn't bond much with his old teammates anymore. E-mails via their D-Terminals comprised the majority of their conversations nowadays, and not even his brother Matt stopped by to visit him as much as he had before. And not just because he was busy.

_ Oh well,_ T.K. thought. _That's all about to change._ He smiled: it was genuine. He couldn't help but grin at the thought of living near his teammates again. He would be going to school with them in a couple of hours, hopefully in the same class. _In the same class,_ he thought. The idea had crossed his mind countless times in the last week since the move, and he hoped dearly that he would get to see Kari again. She had always been his best friend from the old group, and she was the only one in the same grade as him. All the other kids were up at the high school or moved away now, and Kari was his last hope of a making a daily connection back to his old life.

_Please, please, please,_ he thought as he stared back up at the ceiling. He had rolled back into regular sleeping position, but the thought of his old friend made him ever more restless until he couldn't stand to stay in bed anymore. He got up and flipped on the light. _I wish I knew already,_ he thought. Kari hadn't gotten a D-Terminal yet, or rather she wasn't supposed to get one until the last weekend before school started, and every time he called the Kamiya house to try and get her e-mail code no one had been there to pick up the phone. _I hope everything's alright,_ he thought, and rubbed his eyes with the sides of his knuckles. He looked around his room tiredly, yawning and then rubbing his eyes again. _I wish there was someone else up for me to talk to,_ he thought.

And then it struck him. "A-ha!" _Of course!_ he thought. _Izzy!_ Izzy was always up at three in the morning working on some computer program or web tech project! He only slept like two hours a night! _I hope he doesn't mind me interrupting whatever it is he's doing,_ T.K. thought, typing up a short "Hello ^^" and setting his D-Terminal back down on the bed. _Why the " ^^"?_ he thought, _Isn't it kind of girly? Eh. I'm happy. I get to see him tomorrow. Today._ His smirk broadened again. He did, didn't he! Tai and Izzy were supposed to stop by after school today to say hello! T.K. missed the couple, they'd always meant a lot to him as well. Especially Tai, who had acted like a big brother for him in situations when Matt hadn't been able to and even now when they were both older and Matt shirked such actions by choice.

_Oh well,_ T.K. thought again. _Surely he can't ignore me forever. Can he?_ T.K.'s mind dwelled towards more depressing subjects, his brother's rejection of his honest admittance and refusal to support him through any more hardships. He'd met up with Matt just a few days ago right when he moved into the new apartment and the two had gone out to lunch together and spent a few hours hanging out. Matt came over to the apartment at the end while Ms. Takaishi was still working and the two brothers had started to talk about what was going on with their lives. Matt was busy headlining a new band, The Teenage Wolves, and had finally started to taste some success. The band was set to be the opening act for Wada Kouji in a few weeks, and with any luck the gig would be the final push they needed to acquire a record deal and enter the mainstream.

T.K., meanwhile, was simply happy to be back home. He was psyched to be going to the same school as Kari and live near the rest of the DigiDestined, and in comparison didn't really care much about anything else. For the most part, anyways. There was one thing which had been troubling him lately, but he'd been able to escape it by basking in the joy that he felt over the coming reunion with his friends. Sitting in a kitchen chair across from Matt, however, the thought returned to his mind. He couldn't shake it, and the worries he'd been fighting off for so long refused to be silenced any longer. And so when Matt asked him if there was anything else new or exciting going on, T.K. knew he had to answer honestly:

"I'm gay." Those two words, spoken aloud for the first time after months of self-awareness and acknowledgement, were the cause of a deep wound in the brothers' relationship, causing a splintering effect to crack through their closeness from the very seconds following their utterance and through the rest of the week that had passed since. "What?" Matt had seemed shocked at first, then angry as disgusted as T.K. reaffirmed what he had said, plainly stating what he had known for almost a year now. "How could you?" Matt screamed, loosing control of his voice and throwing a glass at the wall. "How could you do this to us? Your family? Your friends?"

Those were the last few questions Matt had asked T.K. They were the very last words T.K. had ever heard come out of his brother's mouth before the older blonde stomped out of the apartment angrily, shaking violently as he repeatedly muttered something under his breath. The two hadn't spoken since. Nor apparently had Matt told anyone else what had been said, as T.K. had received no questions about it from his mother or friends via e-mail. Everyone acted as normally as they always had, and T.K. received no reason to suspect that anyone knew what he was besides Matt. It was ironic, after all, the way his brother had reacted. Matt himself had been in love with Tai three years ago, back when the group had first met and saved the Digital World. Matt had never said anything about it to anyone, but T.K. had always known. He always knew. His brother's eyes gave it away.

Alas, such feelings generated no sympathy. Apparently his brother was in just as much denial now as when he had first fell for the gogglehead. T.K. sighed. It was time to drift back to a more pleasing subject. _Izzy!_ he thought again, looking over at his D-Terminal. The blonde boy picked it up, opening the top to reveal a familiar "You Have New Mail" screen. He smiled, and pressed "Ok." A new screen popped up. "Hello. How are you doing? Shouldn't you be in bed? :P" The sender tag read "Izzy Izumi." T.K. laughed. The reply was much chipper than he was expecting, especially the emoticon. Granted, that seemed par for the course with Izzy's recent e-mails. The computer geek had gotten much more sociable since getting together with Tai. The difference was prodigious, if a bit unnerving.

"I'm okay. Excited for today. Shouldn't _you_ be in bed? :P" T.K. e-mailed back. There was a few minutes pause in-between answers. "Nope. Too close to finishing this program." was Izzy's reply. T.K. smirked. _Of course._ He shut the top on the D-Terminal and set it back on his desk. He looked at the clock again. 4:50 A.M. Had it really taken him an hour and a half just to think about his brother and send two e-mails to Izzy? _Apparently so,_ T.K. thought, shrugging as he felt deep feelings of sleepiness finally take hold of him. He turned off the light and layed back down. _I've got about an hour left before I need to get ready,_ he thought. _God, I'm gonna be exhausted today._ And with that thought, T.K. Takaishi drifted off to sleep.


	2. Good Old Accepting

**Digimon: The New Breed**

**By DigitalFlagDancer**

**Chapter Two:**

"**Good Old Accepting"**

_T.K.'s P.O.V._

Sometimes alarm clocks ruin your day before it even starts. I would know. I got an hour of sleep this morning. _"Riiiiiiiing!"_ The sound of the blasted contraption blazes through my ears, popping them and giving me the beginning of a morning migraine as I grumble loudly and force myself up out of bed to go shut it off. Ugg. Damned thing. I look at the time: 6:00 AM. Yup. Unfortunately. Time to get ready. I don't want to, but if I don't start now I won't have enough time. Thus, I head to the bathroom.

Making my way down the hall and shutting the door behind me, I look in the mirror. My hair is a big blonde mess. It's puffind out in all directions, light yellow spikes pointed everywhich way almost like an albino Izzy of old but without the strange but mystifying aura of intelligence. How he pulled off red spikes and looking at a genius at the same time I still don't know. Either way, the pinecone-do isn't working for me and it needs to be gotten rid of. As do the obvious circles of sleep deprevation I have around both my eyes and the blank expression on my face which reads a mix between stoned out teenager and undead zombie. I suppose I could always be a horror movie actor when I get older if nothing else works out.

I put my thoughts aside and step into the shower. If I want to look presentable I have to wet my hair down and wipe off that grungy school morning feeling first. I always sike myself up for the first day of school, feel determined that it's gonna be the best thing ever and I won't have anything to worry about this year. My mood has been even moreso this year since I've moved back and all, but at the moment I don't think anything could really make me feel excited. I'm just...groggy. And nasty. And tired. Oh well. Deciding its time to _actually_ relax and let my head go I turn the water on high and let it cleanse me. I get my hair wet throughout and wash it, using a bottle of shampoo I borrowed from Tai a while ago and still haven't given back. It smells too good. No surprise there, really: If you're going to keep a permanent bird nest on your head it might as well be a clean one.

After what seems like an hour under the water I step out and dry myself off. Patting my hair down, I decide that it looks not perfect but well enough and go back to my room. I read the clock: 6:30 AM. So I took longer than intended. Oh well, I still have plenty of time. Rummaging through my closet I find a nice yellow and blue striped shirt and a pair of comfortable green pants. Looking for a finishing touch I grab my white hat from the top of my dresser—I've never worn it much before, but it fits the occasion somehow. I feel like it makes me look good in a way I can't place my finger on. I decide it will more than do and drop the matter, heading to the kitchen.

Mom is already up and typing at her computer in the office as I pass by, and I peer my head in and ask: "Hey, Mom. Up already? I thought you didn't have to work until eight today?" "Oh I don't, but I really need to get some more work done on this paper before I go in. It's all about the historical significance of toilet paper," she explained. _Wow,_ I thought. _How totally not interesting. But gross. Like Numemon._ "Ah, okay. Well I'm gonna get a quick bite to eat and go to school, okay?" I replied. "Ah, yes, they do have you all start early here don't they? Sorry I can't drive you there but like I said, I've got this paper to do. Have fun on your first day back and tell Kari 'Hi' for me if you see her!" Mom said. "Will do!," I said, walking the rest of the way to the kitchen and grabbing a protein bar. I'm not in the mood for an actual meal this morning. I slip on my shoes, put on my backpack, and walk out the door.

Our apartment is roughly just ten feet from the elevator and I press the down arrow button beside it. After about thirty seconds the elevator comes down and stops. The doors open. I see two other kids who look about my age. I wonder if they go to the same school as me. "Oh, hi, you must be the new kid that just moved in. Takaishi, is it?" One of the kids asks, a female, tall with purple hair partially kept up in a blue bandana and large clear circular glasses. "T.K., yes," I answer. "T.K. Takaishi." "Ah, well it's nice to meet you T.K. I'm Yolei Inoue. And this is Cody," the girl says, directing my attention to the shorter one of the pair. Cody is small with dark brown hair and plain yet formal looking clothes. His face looks a little troubled for a moment but then he looks up at me and smiles: "Hi, T.K.! I'm Cody Hida! It's nice to meet you. Are you going to Odaiba Middle School, too?" he asks. "Yep," I say. "Seventh grade, Class A. You?" I ask. "Sixth grade, Class A. But at least we can walk to school together," he smiles. I grin back and step in, the elevator starting to move back down. We get out after passing just a few more floors.

"So Yolei, are you in my class?" I ask. "Nah, I'm in the eighth grade. It'll be nice to have someone new to walk with though, like Cody said. How are you liking it here in Odaiba?" Yolei asked. "Oh I like it well enough. I used to live here about seven years ago actually, back when I was still a little kid. We moved away after my parents got divorced, though," I said. "Oh," Yolei said, a frown taking shape on her face. "Sorry." "It's okay," I smile at her. "I'm back now since my mom got a new job here. Hey, speaking of people living here, do either of you know a girl named Kari Kamiya?" I ask. "The name sounds familiar. I've never actually talked to her but I think she's in your grade," Yolei said. "She always seemed nice," Cody added. "Yeah, she is. She was my best friend a while back so I'm hoping to see her again today," I explained. "Oh I'm sure you will. She's one of the smarter girls in your grade so she should be in Class A with you," Yolei said. "Awesome," I replied.

"Hey Yolei, before I forget, my computer's been having some problems again lately. Can you come over and fix it again after school today?" Cody asked. "Sure," Yolei said. "But only if you promise to have your mom make me some of those awesome brownies I love again," she grinned. "Sure. I'll call her during lunch and let her know," Cody said. "Perfecto!" Yolei grinned and looked back over to me. By now we had reached the front of the school and there were several bands of teenagers hanging out outside it. "Hey T.K. I've gotta go meet up with some friends before class starts but good luck on your first day back!," she said smiling, waving back at me as she ran over to some girls on the other side of the lawn. "Thanks! You too," I smiled and waved back. Cody looked up at me right then as well. "Sorry to leave you so soon but I've gotta meet Mr. Ayanami and turn in some summer homework before the bell rings. See ya, T.K.!" Cody said, making his way into the building.

_Hm, all alone,_ I thought. _Again._ Oh well. Time to make my way inside and see if what Yolei said about Kari was really true. I hoped so. As I walked closer to the front entrance I noticed a group of boys playing soccer on one side of the front lawn. _Hm, they're getting ready for the season already?_ I thought. _I suppose it never hurts to practice._ Scanning the scene before me I caught a glimpse of dark brown curls bobbing atop one of the soccer players' heads, decorated with a black pair of goggles. _Tai?_ I thought flabbergasted, stopping to get a closer look at the boy. Upon a second glance I could tell that the boy was not Tai, but the resemblance was striking. Just then I saw a ball coming towards me and with a lightning fast reaction caught it before it could whack me in the face. It was the soccer ball the boys had been using. One of them ran over to get it from me. The brown haired goggle boy.

"Hey, can I get that back?" he asked. Still slightly stunned by his appearance, it took me a few moments to reply. "Y-yeah, sorry," I said, tossing it back. "Sorry. You just look like someone else I know," I said, turning around and walking back toward the door. The boy had a somewhat confused look on his face. I smirked. I must be going crazy. That boy's hair wasn't nearly as long as Tai's and besides, Tai was certainly a better soccer player than that kid had seemed to be for the few moments I had seen him playing. I looked back again: The brunette was looking back at me too, smiling at me for a moment as he drove the ball back towards his teammates. I couldn't help but feel my eyes drift downward a little bit. _I have to admit though,_ I thought. _The kid's ass ain't half-bad._ Smirking at my observation I finally walked through the front door and looked up at the clock to see that I had barely a minute left to get to class. Hurrying, I climbed up the steps to the second floor. Barely making it in on time, I turned to look at my teacher. Thankfully I didn't have Mr. Fujiyama again. I think I might have shot myself if I did. Instead, the man's nametag read Mr. Marsh.

Looking up at him, I said, "Sorry, sir. I'm new here and don't know my way around yet." A lie: I had sometimes been here when meeting up with Kari for some of my rare but precious visits back home. Nonetheless, it was a convenient fallacy as Mr. Marsh had no way of knowing that. "That's ok. You must the new kid from Shinjuku they were telling me about. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class," Mr. Marsh said. I nodded and turned to the several rows of desks in front of me, mostly filled with unfamiliar faces. I scanned through them searcing and found Kari in the fifth row back. I smiled: She returned the gesture. "Hi everyone, I'm T.K. Takaishi. It's nice to meet you," I said to the two dozen or so teenagers whom did not interest me nearly as much as my best friend. "Yes well I'm sure everyone here will make you feel perfectly welcome. Feel free to ask me if you need any help figuring out where your afternoon classes are located at. That said, why don't you take a seat next to..." Mr. Marsh's eyes scanned the rows of seats before him for an empty desk. I looked back to Kari and saw that she had used her bag to save me one. I grinned. "...the girl with the camera around her neck," Mr. Marsh finished. I nodded and made my way down the aisle to my seat. Sitting down, I smiled at Kari. "Together again," I whispered. "Just like old times," she grinned back.

Two rows behind me, a certain brunette was fuming. "That guy's trying to make a move on my girl!" I heard the soccer player from earlier grumble. I snickered. _Yeah, like you really have to worry about that. She's totally the one I find more attractive between the two of you,_ I thought sarcastically, looking back up to Mr. Marsh and the blackboard. He was writing his name up on it in chalk and getting ready to give us a beginning of the year speech. Not really caring, I looked back over to Kari. "Notes?" I whispered. Pulling out a blank piece of paper from under her binder, she grinned: She was already two steps ahead of me. I took the paper and smiled, taking the cap off my pen and beginning what was sure to be the start of our long needed catch-up time. It had been a while since the last time we got to hang out in person, and I intended to catch up as quickly as possible. I was ecstatic to have my friend back, and there was a lot to tell her about: Maybe even what I'd told Matt. _I'm sure she wouldn't care,_ I thought smiling. _She's always been accepting of me. Of everyone, really._ That said, my thoughts began to gravitate back towards the grumbling brunette a few seats behind us. _And maybe I'll even tell her about him. Err, a part of him. She's always been blatant when talking about cute guys._ I smiled. Good old accepting Kari. This was going to be a good year.


	3. Two Admissions and An Attraction

Digimon: The New Breed

by DigitalFlagDancer

Chapter Three

"Two Admissions and an Attraction"

TK's POV

I looked down at the sheet of paper in front of me wondering what to write. There was so much I wanted to ask but I didn't want to say too much at once. At the same time it didn't seem right to just write "Hi, how're you?" so I tried for something that would be not too long but not too short either:

_How's it going, what's new with you? Have I missed anything major? It's been like a month since the last time we really talked. I tried calling this weekend but no one answered. Have you got a D-Terminal yet?_

I figured that should work well enough and glanced up to see if Mr. Marsh was looking our way. His back was still to the us as he kept writing on the board while talking about what we'd be covering this year. I passed the paper to Kari and she started writing. Looking up at the board, my attention shifted a bit back to the kids I had met on the elevator that morning, Yolei and Cody. They seemed nice. Yolei seemed like the more outgoing one who'd be easier to talk to at first. Cody seemed nice too, though. Just a little more reserved. He didn't strike me as being especially shy so much as just cerebral and in his own head. He was polite though. Kari passed the paper back to me as I finished my thought.

_I'm good, how are you? Not much is new really, I've just been going out taking pictures and bothering my brother as usual. And I was out of the house a lot this weekend; it was my birthday Saturday so we all went out to celebrate and then I went over to Izzy's with Tai yesterday to hang out with them. I didn't get back until like 10 last night, sorry I missed your call. But yes I got my D-Terminal, and we need to swap friend codes! ^^_

I smiled. It was good to see that she was doing well, and that we'd be able to e-mail each other back and forth now. Seeing her mention Tai and Izzy was a relief, too. I'd been pretty much sure she would accept me anyway, but remembering that she knew her brother was gay and was fine with that was the "Duh" I needed to ease some of the fear I felt anyway. I hadn't told anyone other than Matt, so coming out still felt new and daunting. That said, I thought it would be okay. With Kari at least. And that's when it hit me. I looked at the note again. I had forgotten that it was her birthday Saturday. I knew she'd be getting her D-Terminal but forgot that it was gonna be her birthday present. God, I felt like a total dunce. I slouched a little. I saw Kari look at me, a little concerned, in my peripheral vision. I quickly began to reply:

_I'm glad everything is going well with you and yeah, we'll have to swap friend codes right after this. Did you have fun this weekend? Bother Tai and Izzy? I messaged Izzy this morning while I couldn't sleep. He was busy programming as usual. :) I have to admit, though…I forgot yesterday was your birthday. :( I'm sorry! I had meant to get your something but then we didn't talk for a while and I was preoccupied with the move and other things and I forgot. :( I feel bad now…_

I looked back up to the front of the room. Mr. Marsh was still going on about his syllabus. He was currently facing the board (again! The man didn't make much eye contact) going on about grading policies. I passed the note to Kari. I heard a small groan. Mr. Marsh hadn't noticed the note passing, but someone else had. I looked behind me. That soccer player from earlier was sitting not far from us and looked pretty dejected. When he saw me looking at him he lowered his head and seemed to try to act normal. _Dang, I didn't want him to feel bad…, _ I thought. _Maybe I should tell him there's nothing going on between Kari and I. Then again, she's not his girl and I don't owe him that. _Before I could reach a conclusion Kari passed the paper back to me. I read it:

_Its ok! :) No worries, really! But yeah it was fun. I embarrassed Tai in front of Izzy a few times, it was great. :) And I bet you Izzy wasn't programming. Tai stayed over with Izzy again last night, and Tai never lets Izzy get any work done. Izzy seems to be trying less lately, too. You probably caught them being all lovey-dovey. :) Speaking of which, have you seen any girls you think are cute here yet? :) Also do you wanna come over to my house after school today? I don't have anything I need to do, plus Tai and Izzy are supposed to be there too so you can catch up with both of them too. :)_

I blushed at the image of Tai and Izzy acting like lovebirds. It was really hard to imagine Izzy being very romantic with anyone, but I supposed it made sense. Everyone had that side to them, and Tai clearly made him happy. The idea of having someone to be like that with sounded nice. Kari's question about girls struck a chord with me, however. I wasn't sure how to reply. I didn't just wanna say no and leave it at that…I had been meaning to come out to her. But should I do it now or later? I considered telling her in person but I didn't know if she'd want to sit with other people at lunch, Tai and Izzy were gonna be with us at her house later and I didn't really feel like waiting. I had a sudden urge to drop the bomb, like I had to get it out of me. Kari would be more accepting of me than Matt had been. She had to be. I wrote back:

_Sounds good. :) Haha, it's so weird how different Izzy seems sometimes. He's still the same guy but…he seems so…chipper now! Even when Tai is annoying him you can tell he's not actually angry like he used to be. :P And sure, I'd love to come over. :) Izzy and Tai were gonna meet me here afterschool to catch up, actually…we can all walk over to your place together I guess. :) And as far as girls go…_

My mind switched for a second to the soccer player a few rows back.

_There's someone in here I think is cute but…_

I looked down at the paper, weighing how heavy the next sentence felt in my mind.

_I'm gay._

I hurriedly passed the note to Kari so I wouldn't change my mind and erase it. I stared down at my desk while she replied, not making eye contact with her until she handed the note back to me. She smiled. I felt relief began to hit me. I read:

_Oh? Ok! How long have you known? I hope you weren't afraid to tell me…I'm sorry we haven't talked as much lately…but we'll fix that! And yeah, we can all meet up then! :) Whose the boy if you don't mind me asking?_

I felt relieved, but strange at the same time. She smiled again. I awkwardly smiled back. Admitting this stuff still felt kind of weird. I glanced back at the soccer player behind us. He was staring off into space, clearly oblivious to everything else. I liked his hair. It fit his face well. I was about to reply to Kari when the bell rang. I put the paper in my binder and asked, "Talk more at lunch?" "Yeah," she agreed, and we started packing up. Our class got up to leave the room and the soccer player ended up in front of us, where I got another appreciative look at his butt as he walked through the door.


End file.
